You Are Not Exceeding Expectations
by Gwendolynthepotterhead
Summary: Albus and Cass are the fearless Gryffindors and Scorpius and Rose are the Studious Ravenclaws. The four are best friends, but when a rumor about someone's unrequited love is let out, their friendship is on the verge of destruction.
1. Chapter 1

September 1, 2017

Albus Potter was tapping his foot furiously on the marble floors of the Hogwarts Great Hall. He was so nervous, not wanting to be sorted into the dreaded Slytherin house. He looked at his best friend and cousin Rose Weasley. She was better at concealing  
her nerves, only Albus could tell that she was slightly nervous.

Albus looked over to the table he was standing next to, but quickly shifted his gaze. It was the Slytherin table, and for some reason he thought looking there would cause him to be sorted there. Albus's gaze fell on the front of the room where another  
First Year boy was being sorted.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The Sorting Hat bellowed. The student let out a relieved sigh, then happily pranced over to the Hufflepuff table. Another older student (brother?) clapped the boy on the back, something he hoped his brother, James, might do.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!" Headmistress McGonagall called out to the sea of First Years. Albus started to breathe heavily. There were only two letters between M and P, and who's last name started with an N or an O? He looked to Rose who looked rather intrigued  
with this sorting.

"Do you know this boy?" Albus inquired to his cousin. She just turned to him and rolled her eyes in the 'I'm-Smarter-Than-You' way.

"Remember my Dad's warning about him this morning at the station?" Rose asked in a whisper. Albus thought about everything that happened in that chaotic moment. He was drawing a blank, but then he remembered his Uncle Ron pointing to his old nemesis.  
Telling them to be careful with the Malfoy boy. Albus nodded back to his read headed cousin.

"Yeah I remember now but I wouldn't think anything-"

"RAVENCLAW!" The Hat yelled loudly. Both cousins looked up with shocked looks at the blonde boy. After all a warning like that suggests Slytherin. The Malfoy boy had the same look that the other two did. He obviously thought that he would get into Slytherin  
as well.

The Ravenclaws all had smug looks on their faces while clapping. Probably because they got a First Year that everyone thought was a definite Slytherin. Albus felt someone elbow him in the ribs.

"The Sorting Hat is calling you." Rose whispered to him harshly while pushing him towards the front. Albus felt the feeling in his stomach ease away. If the students were fine with a Malfoy in Ravenclaw, a Potter in any house would be alright.

Albus sat on the stool tentatively though. He saw everyone watching him as The Hat was placed gently on his head.

"The second Potter boy!" The Sorting Hat said in his head merrily, "I have to say, there are many similarities with the older one. Very many Gryffindor qualities, but also some of Slytherin. Is it enough to override the want of being in Gryffindor? Hmm..."

The hat kept repeating that making Albus quite anxious. Where was he going to be sorted?

"I think I've made a decision." The Sorting Hat finally said "Let's keep up family traditions... Gryffindor!"

Albus felt a grin spread across his facebas he looked over to where his brother was sitting and cheering. His reaction was what mattered most to him. The newly sorted Gryffindor shot up and straight up ran to the seat next to James.

"I knew that you'd be sitting next to me tonight!" James said happily, "You see how many First Years I made sit on the other side just for you." The two brothers laughed joyfully.

"Rory, Cassandra!" The Headmistress called out. A girl was walking over to sit with the Slytherins while another one was walking with confidence up to the stool.

"James," Albus cried out with a laugh "While we were a talking another girl just got sorted!" James laughed and shook his head.

"Slytherin sortings

are always the fastest, so that's normal. Now shut up so we don't miss another, Al!" James said lightly. Then the two shifted their attention to brunette girl on the stool. You could see her nerves by the way she couldn't focus her gaze and her  
hands that she was sitting on. Both clear signs of pure nerves.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The girl clapped and places the hat back on the stool. She gracefully walked to their table and took a seat next to Al, because of James

it was the only seat left.

"Hey!" The girl said happily with confidence, "I'm Cassandra, but everyone calls me Cass." She grinned a crooked smile. Her teeth were obviously never fixed with a spell when she was younger. Was this girl a muggle born?

"I'm Albus, but people call me Al." Al said and stuck his hand out for her to shake. Cass took his hand and shook it with purpose. She brushed her hand through her short, thick hair.

"So I've read about all the classes that they teach here. I'm so excited for third year when we get those new classes. I've never even heard of magic until a month ago so this is all so cool! I'm glad I got into Gryffindor it definitely seemed like the  
best house... sorry, I talk a lot" Cass rambled excitedly. Albus just laughed good-heartedly.

"Don't worry, James is my brother and he talks more than you I'm sure." The First Years laughed as James rolled his eyes. "So you're a muggle born?" Cass nodded but then the Headmistress started talking.

"Weasley, Rose!"

"Sorry one second," Albus said apologetically, "She's my cousin and best friend." Cass nodded again. They watched the sorting intently.

Rose showed a multitude of emotions while she was sitting on the stool. She went from nervous to excited to confused in just a few seconds. It had been about a minute and half before James got bored.

"Bloody hell!" James whispered loudly, "This sorting is taking longer than yours! Yours was only about a minute long but Rose's is taking forever!"

"My sorting seemed to take longer than that, wow." Al exclaimed. Everyone turned their attention back to the sorting, not wanting to miss anything.

"RAVENCLAW!" The Hat finally called loudly. The Ravenclaw table clapped very loudly, again with the smug grins. Albus looked to the Malfoy boy, he was clapping along with everyone else. He couldn't see the boys face though. Rose sat across from him though,  
starting small talk immediately with him.

"She will make a perfect fit for the Ravenclaw house." Albus said happily. James looked disappointed though. He wanted her and Al to be in Gryffindor and Albus knew this.

Rose stood up from where she was sitting and waved, she looked ecstatic. Al waved back and gave her thumbs up. The Malfoy boy turned around and waved shyly. He waved back with confidence, knowing that this might piss off his brother. James always believed  
that the Malfoys were no good.

"I have a feeling that the next seven years will be great." Cass said with a grin. Al nodded he believed that great would be an understatement.


	2. Prologue

September 27, 2021 

"Everything in the Prophet is just shit!" Rose cried out dramatically. Scorpius shook his head at her teenage melodramatic ways. For being the smartest girl in the fifth year, you'd expect her to actually to read the Daily Prophet.

"Oh, Rose," Scorpius said while rolling his eyes, "Your cousin would be bashing your head in if he would hurry up in the bloody bathroom." He yelled the last part into the the bathroom so that Albus could hear. Being late for Transfiguration with Professor  
Tristis was the eighth deadly sin.

"Oh come one give him a break. With a girlfriend like Alice Potter you can't look anything under excellent." Cass said with a laugh while flipping her perfect, long, brown over her shoulder.

"She's not my girlfriend." Albus huffed as he walked out of the bathroom wiping his hands on his school robes.

"Yet!" Scorpius added trying not to crack up. He was succeeded until Rose couldn't help but slip a giggle. Then the three of them laughed until they cried. Albus stood there with his arms crossed a a scowl. The other three always teased him about  
Albus having a crush on Alice. Alice was the prettiest girl in the fifth year, other than Cass, and Al was the best looking guy. Everyone said that the two as a couple was inevitable. Scorpius especially, he was almost obsessed with the idea of the  
two of them dating.

"You're right." Albus stated with confidence, "I'll ask her out today." His friends stopped laughing and started cheering. Cass hugged Albus tightly. Scorpius whistled loudly.

"Okay everyone get yourselves together." Scorpius said ending the celebration, "I have Transfiguration first and I don't want to be late. That detention in the forest was bloody awful." He shuddered remembering being trapped in that death trap with Hagrid,  
who hated him because of his father.

"Well then, see ya! Al and I have have potions. See you at lunch." Cass called out. She grabbed Al's arm and the two disappeared down the corridor.

"Okay let's go Scorp." Rose said as they continued the other way down the corridor.

-•-•-•-

In the past five years the four friends had developed into very different individuals.

Cass had quickly grown very tall and beautiful. All the guys started to notice her, and she knew it. Very quickly she turned from the confident girl who talked a lot to the most popular girl of the third, fourth and then the fifth year. Cass also fixed  
her teeth the muggle way that Scorpius didn't understand. She developed an award winning smile that made boys weak at the knees.

Rose had always been a fast learner. Even in Ravenclaw she was the smartest girl in the year. She read books so much she developed the need for glasses. She also drank so much coffee that it stunted her growth and she was so tiny. She was also always  
pining on her brother's roommate Jared Woods. She would never be able to say a word to though without freaking out. She also was incredibly shy, she only ever talked to her closest friends or cousins.

Scorpius was the loudest Ravenclaw that ever existed. When he wasn't studying, he was the second smartest in the year, he pulling a prank on some unexpected victim. That alone convinced James that he was not terrible. Scorpius was easily the funniest  
guy in the year. He was constantly cracking jokes everywhere. Everyone knew that Scorpius incredibly loyal and would never do anything to betray his friends.

Albus was the hardest of the four to define. He was Cass's partner in crime, the most popular guy of the fifth year. He was Rose Weasely's cousin, and her best friend. He was Scorpius Malfoy's teammate, they were the two to start the school quidditch  
team. What was he to himself though? Albus described himself as the type of person who got along with everyone. He had no enemies. He was also good looking. Unlike his father, his hair was always neatly combed and his glasses were stylish. Other than  
that, what was Albus Potter?

The four were extremely tight, but what would happen when their feelings got in the way.


End file.
